Is Shift Work Sleep Disorder Wrecking Your Life?

Shift work sleep disorder affects around five million people. That’s a lot of people who are going through their day sleep deprived because their job is stopping them from getting the sleep they need. These are people employed in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, transport, nursing, hospitality and emergency services, in fact any profession that requires you to work at night and sleep during the day.

Why does working shifts have such a dramatic effect on our sleep? Those of us who work at night and sleep during the day are working in opposition to their inbuilt circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is operated by sunlight and is hard wired into our brains. If we leave work when the sun is rising, a signal is sent to our brain that it’s time to wake up. No matter how many hours we’ve already been awake the melatonin in our brain decreases on seeing bright light and we will feel wide awake. Even those who have worked shifts for many years never totally overcome this disruption to their circadian rhythm.

What are health problems associated with shift work? Sleep deprivation over many months or years can negatively impact our health in several ways. There is the ever present feelings of tiredness and lethargy during the day, not to mention the dangers of driving tired.Worse still, sleep deprivation depresses our immune system leaving us more susceptible to disease.

So what’s a shift worker to do? There are ways of coping with this sleep disorder, but you must be organized and make sleep a priority in your life. The two main enemies of sleeping during the day are noise and light. This is why your bedroom has to be the main focus. Make sure your room is as dark as possible by installing the thickest blinds you can find. It may be necessary to move your bedroom to an isolated part of the house which is removed from the noise of other family members. If this is not possible, ask for the co-operation of your family in keeping quiet and invest in a good set of earplugs.

Don’t let your body wake up! Use a pair of dark sunglasses when driving home from work to block out the sunlight. Limit your caffeine intake during the latter part of your shift to prevent restlessness.

Set a sleep routine and stick to it – even on your days off. Make sure your family and friends know what times of the day you sleep so that they don’t disturb you.

If shift work sleep disorder is affecting your lifestyle despite the above advice, it may be advisable to give up shift work and find another job. After all your health does have to take priority.